33 terms defined. Alphabetical order. Technical terms used across this site explained in plain English.
AlleleA variant form of a gene. For melanism in big cats, the relevant alleles are the MC1R-delta15 allele (jaguar) and the ASIP recessive allele (leopard). An individual can carry one or two copies of an allele.ASIP (Agouti Signaling Protein)A protein that normally suppresses MC1R signalling during hair follicle development, creating the banded or patterned coat of wild-type felids. A loss-of-function recessive ASIP mutation removes this suppression, causing continuous eumelanin production and a fully dark (melanistic) coat. This is the genetic basis of leopard melanism.Apex predatorA predator at the top of its food chain with no natural predators as an adult. Jaguar, leopard, cougar, and Florida panther are all apex predators in their respective ecosystems.Binomial nomenclatureThe formal system for naming species with a two-part Latin name: genus plus species. Examples: Panthera onca (jaguar), Puma concolor (cougar). Established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.Bite force (psi)Pounds per square inch - a measure of the pressure a bite can exert. Jaguar approximately 1,500 psi (Wroe et al. 2005). Psi values for wild animals are typically estimated from dry skull modelling, not live measurement, so they carry methodological uncertainty. Useful for comparison within a study but not perfectly comparable across different studies.CarnivoraThe mammalian order containing carnivores, including all felids (cats), canids (dogs, wolves), ursids (bears), mustelids (weasels, otters), and others. All four of our species are in Carnivora, Order Carnivora, Family Felidae.CatamountA contraction of 'cat of the mountain.' A common name for the cougar (Puma concolor) used historically in New England and the Adirondacks. Largely archaic today. The eastern cougar of New England was declared extinct by USFWS in 2018.Conservation geneticsThe application of genetic tools and principles to conservation of biological diversity. Key applications: assessing inbreeding depression, designing genetic rescue programs, identifying management units, detecting hybridisation. The Florida panther genetic rescue is a textbook case study.CougarCommon name for Puma concolor, used primarily in Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and formal North American wildlife management. Derived from a corrupted Portuguese/Tupi borrowing. One of over 40 English names for the same species.Critically Endangered (IUCN)The highest non-extinct threat category on the IUCN Red List. Applied when a species or subspecies faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. The Florida panther is listed as Endangered under the US ESA (Endangered Species Act). IUCN equivalent for the subspecies is Critically Endangered.Dominant alleleAn allele that produces a trait when only one copy is present (heterozygous). The MC1R-delta15 allele causing jaguar melanism is dominant: one copy produces a fully black coat. Contrast with recessive allele.ESA (Endangered Species Act)The United States Endangered Species Act of 1973, the primary US federal law protecting threatened and endangered species. The Florida panther has been listed as Endangered under the ESA since 1967 (under a predecessor law). The ESA requires federal agencies to develop recovery plans for listed species.EumelaninThe dark form of melanin (brown to black). Produced in hair follicles by melanocytes in response to MC1R signalling. Overproduction of eumelanin relative to pheomelanin results in a dark (melanistic) coat. The MC1R-delta15 mutation in jaguars causes constitutive eumelanin production.ExtirpationLocal extinction: the elimination of a species or population from a specific geographic area, while the species continues to exist elsewhere. Distinct from global extinction. The jaguar has been extirpated from the US (with occasional dispersing males excepted). The eastern cougar has been extirpated from New England.Felidae / Felinae / PantherinaeFelidae is the family of all cats. Within Felidae, Pantherinae includes the 'big cats' (Panthera genus: lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard) plus several others. Felinae includes the 'small cats' including cougars, cheetahs, ocelots, and domestic cats. Despite being the largest Felinae, the cougar is taxonomically a 'small cat.'Gene flowThe transfer of alleles between populations through migration and interbreeding. Maintaining gene flow between isolated jaguar subpopulations is a key objective of Panthera's Jaguar Corridor Initiative. Loss of gene flow leads to inbreeding and genetic drift.Genetic rescueThe introduction of individuals from outside a small, inbred population to increase genetic diversity and reduce inbreeding depression. The 1995 Florida panther genetic rescue is the most cited example: eight Texas cougars were introduced to a population of under 30 inbred Florida panthers.Ghost rosettesThe rosette pattern visible on melanistic (black) jaguars and leopards under strong direct light, flash photography, or infrared imaging. The rosettes are encoded in skin pigment structure and remain present even when the dark base coat obscures them in normal light.Gloger's RuleAn empirical rule in ecology stating that animals in warm, humid environments tend to be more darkly pigmented than those in cooler, drier environments. Applied to melanistic big cats: Mooring et al. (2020) documented higher melanism frequency in Costa Rican jaguars in dense forest vs open habitat, consistent with Gloger's Rule. Malaysian black leopards (up to ~50% of some populations) are another example.Inbreeding depressionReduced fitness and biological performance in a population resulting from inbreeding (mating between closely related individuals). In the Florida panther, inbreeding depression before the 1995 rescue produced kinked tails, cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), atrial septal defects, and low reproductive rates.IUCN Red List categoriesThe IUCN Red List classifies species into: Least Concern (LC), Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), Critically Endangered (CR), Extinct in the Wild (EW), and Extinct (EX). Jaguar: NT (2023). Leopard: VU (2020). Cougar: LC (2022). Florida panther: managed as CR (subspecies level).MC1R (Melanocortin 1 Receptor)A gene encoding a cell-surface receptor in melanocytes that controls the type of melanin produced. Activation of MC1R promotes eumelanin (dark pigment) production. The MC1R-delta15 mutation in jaguars is a gain-of-function deletion causing constitutive MC1R activation and thus continuous dark-pigment production, resulting in a melanistic coat.MelanismA condition in which an animal produces excess dark pigment (melanin) in its skin, hair, or feathers, resulting in an abnormally dark appearance. In big cats, melanism produces the 'black panther' phenotype. Distinct from pseudo-melanism (dark striping or spots on a normal background) and from leucism (lack of pigmentation).PantherA common name with no single zoological meaning. Used for: (1) melanistic jaguars in the Americas ('black panther'), (2) melanistic leopards in Africa and Asia ('black panther'), (3) the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi, a cougar subspecies), (4) cougars generally in Floridian, Carolinian, and Appalachian English. The scientific genus Panthera (Oken 1816) contains lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and snow leopard - but NOT cougars.PantheraA genus of the family Felidae containing the 'roaring cats': lion (P. leo), tiger (P. tigris), leopard (P. pardus), jaguar (P. onca), and snow leopard (P. uncia). All produce a roar via a partially ossified hyoid bone. Cougar (Puma concolor) is NOT in this genus despite sometimes being called panther.PheomelaninThe light form of melanin (yellow to reddish-brown). Produced when MC1R signalling is suppressed by ASIP. The typical tawny coat of spotted big cats reflects high pheomelanin relative to eumelanin. Melanistic coats reflect suppressed pheomelanin and elevated eumelanin production.PumaCommon name for Puma concolor, preferred in Latin America and increasingly in international scientific usage. Derived from Quechua 'puma,' the language of the Inca empire and its cultural successors in the Andes.Puma concolorThe mountain lion / cougar / puma / panther. Single species with the largest latitudinal range of any wild land mammal in the Western Hemisphere (Yukon to Patagonia). IUCN Least Concern (2022). Over 40 common names in English. Florida panther (P. c. coryi) is a subspecies.Puma concolor coryiThe Florida panther subspecies. Critically endangered (US ESA). Population 120-230 adults and subadults in South Florida (USFWS April 2026). Recovered from fewer than 30 individuals in 1995 through a genetic rescue program using Texas cougars.Recessive alleleAn allele that only produces a trait when two copies are present (homozygous). The ASIP allele causing leopard melanism is recessive: both parents must carry a copy for offspring to be melanistic. A carrier with one recessive ASIP copy has a normal spotted coat.RosetteA circular or oval ring of dark spots arranged around a paler centre in the coat of spotted felids. Jaguars have large rosettes with one to four small spots inside the ring. Leopards have smaller rosettes with an empty (hollow) centre. The rosette structure is the single most reliable visual marker for distinguishing the two species in a photograph.SubspeciesA formally recognised subdivision within a species, typically defined by geographic isolation and measurable morphological or genetic differences. The Florida panther is a subspecies (Puma concolor coryi). The validity of many historical subspecies across Panthera and Puma has been revised by molecular studies showing that older subspecies lists were based on superficial morphology rather than genuine genetic structure.USFWSUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service - the federal agency responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act, managing national wildlife refuges, and implementing species recovery plans. USFWS manages the Florida panther recovery program and produces the current population estimates.